The ‘Quartier Latin’ of Montréal. At the southern end of the endless Rue St. Denis, it’s easy to miss Emery Street. Apart from a cinema center, the short street has little to offer. And yet in N° 333, Sebastian Schwarz aka SEB BLACK resides in his realm full of instruments, studio equipment, Victorian sofas and bookshelves, posters and artist portraits, full ashtrays and stuffed animals lurking in the semi-darkness.

SEB BLACK is a singer, songwriter, sound engineer, producer, video maker and a punk at heart – a charismatic outsider. Inspired by the musical cultures of the bilingual metropolis, ranging from Mississippi blues, French troubadours and classic country to punk, roots folk and electro rock. SEB BLACK mixes all these influences and puts his unmistakable stamp on them with his voice. His songs are a reflection of his city. Sometimes of fragile beauty, sometimes electrifyingly danceable, then thoughtful again, but always with that irresistible groove and unstoppable drive.

His mixture of styles seems like an old acquaintance, musical quotations flash up and the magician SEB BLACK gives everything his unmistakable charm. Every song has the character of a hit without being cheap, without sinking into the mainstream and, above all, without being a copy. His underdog stories are vicious, biting, but also seriously sad, SEB BLACK screams out the blues, is a soulful storyteller, a vulnerable ballad king and street punk. Fascinating, attractive and irritating at the same time.